The Juneteenth Standard

By Arthur Ward - Freedmenabsolute.com

At the time of this writing – it is the first week of June 2022. Juneteenth became a federal

holiday on June 19, 2021. That was a good thing – actually. Lately, I have been listening to

various Twitter spaces, and reading a few articles online. There have been legitimate complaints

from Freedmen, Foundational Black Americans, B1’s, ADOS, and others regarding the

commercialization of, the co-opting of, and the perceived mishandling of Juneteenth. The flash

point that ignited the Freedmen community was Walmart selling – then recalling “Juneteenth Ice

Cream.” The recall came as a result of a backlash primarily done on social media. Wonderful.

We get what we want when we unify and focus. Now, the complaints are valid to a point.

But!!! I think that the culpability is misplaced.

Why? Well Family – we cannot expect other groups to do the proper thing in this Juneteenth

space because of two reasons. Reason One: The United States is an unabashedly capitalist

country in fact and practice. We cannot legitimately allow anger to lace up our thoughts and

words if WE have not established control and ownership of this Juneteenth issue. Which is

clearly being mishandled. Let us also understand that serious consequences have their place

when interlopers interlope. We must be ruthless and uncompromising in that respect.

Understand? People are going to commercialize and transactionalize anything that is potentially

or currently profitable and has no circumscriptions, taboos, or restrictions. Just the way it is.

A law of the universe.

Reason Two: Because WE as a Freedmen community HAVE NOT established hard standards,

unimpeachable protocols, and responsible ownership. Full Stop.

Family – no line has been drawn. No prohibition has been enforced.

So. What should we do about this? What is it that we need to know? Well, what is going to be

discussed here are suggested attitudes and actions to get control of this very important day. Just

American Freedmen type Suggestions! OK Family?

What Is Juneteenth

This Juneteenth, which is now a federal holiday, commemorates the secondary emancipation or

complete enfranchisement of Foundational Black American slaves. It is also observed for

celebrating American Freedmen culture. The final landing of a 900 day legal manumission

trajectory starting from January 1, 1863 until its ending on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth originated

in Galveston, Texas. It has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United

States since 1865. The day was recognized and established as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021.

President Joseph Biden signed the “Juneteenth National Independence Day Act” into law.

Juneteenth’s commemoration is on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 announcement of

General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for enslaved

people in Texas. This was the last state of the Confederacy to operate with legal institutional

slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, freed enslaved people in Texas and

all the other Southern secessionist states of the Confederacy except for the parts of states not in

rebellion. Although the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the Confederate States – it

did not end slavery in states that remained in the Union. The last enslaved people present in the

continental United States were freed when the enslaved people held in the Indian Territories that

had sided with the Confederacy were released, namely the Choctaw (“and Brown?”), in 1866.

Celebrations date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas.

They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often

centering on a food festival. The participants in the Great Migration out of the South carried their

celebrations to other parts of the country. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, these

celebrations were eclipsed by the nonviolent determination to achieve civil rights, but grew in

popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African American freedom and economics.

Beginning with Texas by proclamation in 1938, and by legislation in 1979, each state and the

District Of Columbia have formally recognized the holiday in some way. With its adoption in

certain parts of Mexico, the holiday became an international holiday. Juneteenth is celebrated by

the Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles who escaped from slavery in 1852 and then

settled in Coahuila, Mexico. But that Seminole-Mexican celebration has a different meaning and

substance than our American Juneteenth. And that difference is exclusive to American Freedmen.

Why It Should Be Recognized

One “Why:” Juneteenth is not only a time to commemorate, remember, and reflect to be sure. It

can also be regarded as a practice run – a political test to see if we can responsibly handle one of

the responsibilities of reparations (taking it back from others). Many of the same challenges and

requirements are held here. Exclusivity, specificity, pulling the gate up, ownership of the issue,

drawing Tribal lines, and ultimately shaping the narrative. The Other “Why:” Follow me here:

For those that are religious, you have religious holidays and observances. Many people on those

days do, let’s say “spiritual resets” and recommitments. For those that are married, you have

wedding anniversaries. And some couples use that day to renew their vows and “reset” their

commitments to each other. Understand?

Juneteenth is a serious political day. Being released from slavery is a political act. Identifying

who are members of our Tribe is a political act. Got It? Strengthening, expanding, reuniting with,

and operationalizing the family unit is a political act. Doing research on your Tribal history and

learning the details of your lineage is a political act. Working on improving our Tribal

interpersonal relations with each other as American Freedmen – and becoming more acceptable

to each other is a political act (something that MUST be accomplished for our survival). Our

unity is a political act. Juneteenth is a time of political education and reset for American

Freedmen. That is why it should be recognized. Everything about our existence is political. From

birth to death. Even where you will be buried is a political act.

Juneteenth is our political reset day.

You can read the rest of this blog piece at this link:

https://freedmenabsolute.com/2022/06/10/the-juneteenth-standard/